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Lewis Holtby
Lewis Holtby'' ''is a German professional footballer who plays for Hamburger SV and the German national football team. | cityofbirth = Erkelenz | countryofbirth = West Germany | dateofdeath = | cityofdeath = | countryofdeath = | height = 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) | position = Midfielder | currentclub = Hamburg | clubnumber = 8 | youthyears = 1994–2001 2001–2004 2004–2007 | youthclubs = Sparta Gerderath Borussia Mönchengladbach Alemannia Aachen | years = 2007–2009 2009–2013 2010 2010-2011 2013-2015 2014 2014-2015 2015- | clubs = Alemannia Aachen Schalke 04 → VfL Bochum (loan) → Mainz 05 (loan) Tottenham Hotspur → Fulham (loan) → Hamburg (loan) Hamburg | caps(goals) = 33 (8) 55 (10) 14 (2) 30 (4) 25 (1) 13 (1) 22 (0) 69 (5) | nationalyears = 2010– | nationalteam = Germany | nationalcaps(goals) = 3 (0) | manageryears = | managerclubs = }} Club career Early career Holtby began playing football at the age of four when he joined amateur team Sparta Gerderath, a club his father had previously played for. At the age of 11 joined the academy of Borussia Mönchengladbach, where he remained for three seasons before being released. Following his release, he joined Alemannia Aachen, where he again spent three seasons in the academy. Aachen Holtby signed his first professional contract during the 2007-08 season, and made his first-team debut in December 2007 at the age of 17. During his first season he made only one more appearance for the club. Holtby's second season with Aachen was more successful: he excelled in a new wing position, making 31 appearances and scoring 8 goals. His form during this season resulted in him being awarded the 2009 Gold Fritz Walter Medal for the best German under-19 player. Schalke 04 Holtby's successful second season at Aachen impressed a number of Bundesliga sides, who attempted to court him for the upcoming 2009-10 season. Holtby joined Schalke 04 for a reported fee of €2.5 million. During his time at Schalke, Holtby was loaned out twice: first to Bochum at the end of January 2010, then to Mainz for the 2010-11 season. On his return to Schalke, Holtby was converted to a deeper role but, despite his more defensive position, managed to score 9 goals in 41 appearances. Tottenham Hotspur On 28 January 2013, Holtby signed a four-and-a-half year £1.5 million contract with Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur. He struggled to establish himself as a first team player, and signed for Fulham on loan in January 2014. Hamburger SV Having struggled to make an impact at Tottenham, Holtby decided to return to Germany to join Hamburger SV on loan. In his debut Bundesliga season Holtby made 22 appearances, impressing the club to the extent that they exercised their option to make his loan move permanent. This move was finalised in July 2015 for a reported fee of £4.6 million. Holtby was instrumental in Hamburg's avoidance of relegation during the 2016-17 season, scoring an extra-time winner against Koln and recording two assist in the crucial final two matches of the season. After a last-minute goal at Wolfsburg in May 2017 confirmed that the team were safely in the Bundesliga, Holtby - wearing nothing but the team's famous red shorts - famously celebrated with fans in what has come to be one of the defining images of the season's campaign. International career As well as his native Germany, Holtby was eligible to represent England through his father, a British solider who was stationed at an RAF station in Monchengladbach. Holtby represented Germany at U18 and U19 level, before participating in the U20 World Cup in Egypt in 2009 and captaining the German national side during the 2013 European Under 21 Championship. Holtby was named in the German senior squad for the first time in November 2010, for a friendly against Sweden. Personality and playing style Despite being converted to a deeper role early in his career, Holtby has retained an attacking intent. He is known for his pace, energy and desire to control and dominate the midfield. Holtby has described his own playing style as fast and skilful, with lot of tackling. Holtby enjoys immense popularity among Hamburg fans, especially given his instrumental role in the club's successful battle against relegation in the 2016-17 season. He is known for not wearing any underwear during matches, preferring to play with nothing beneath his shorts. Among fans, he has also developed a reputation for nearly always removing his shirt at the conclusion of each match. Even when the rest of the team keep their shirts on, he almost invariably leaves the pitch topless. Neither Holtby nor any of his Hamburg team-mates have indicated that there is any significance to his shirt removal, other than that he enjoys it, but the sight of a topless Holtby surrounded by fully-clothed team-mates has become a distinctive and inevitable feature of Hamburg celebrations. Honours Clubs *'Schalke 04' **DFL-Supercup: 2011 Individual * Fritz Walter Medal: 2009 External links Category:Midfielders Category:Tottenham Hotspur F.C. players Category:Players Category:German players Category:Living people Category:1990 births